Pakistani PM hails China ties

‘TRUE FRIEND’:Yousuf Raza Gilani lauded China as a ‘time-tested and all-weather friend’ who had stood by Pakistan’s side through all difficulties

AFP, BEIJING

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declared China his country’s best friend in an apparent slap at Washington as he was to begin a visit to China yesterday, with US ties tested over Osama bin Laden’s killing.

Gilani’s trip follows the killing of the al-Qaeda leader by US special forces on Pakistani soil, in a raid that has cast a pall over US-Pakistan ties and was widely expected to push Islamabad closer to Beijing.

“We appreciate that in all difficult circumstances, China stood with Pakistan. Therefore we call China a true friend and a time-tested and all-weather friend,” Gilani told China’s official Xinhua news agency.

“We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend, and China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times,” he said in an interview released yesterday.

Gilani’s comments appeared to underscore tensions with Washington following the May 2 US raid on a compound in northern Pakistan, which left the country’s civilian and military leaders angry and embarrassed.

On Monday, US Senator John Kerry demanded Pakistan make progress against terrorism through “actions, not by words” in a visit to the country.

The fact that the terrorist mastermind had been hiding out in Pakistan, possibly for years, has raised accusations the country’s powerful security establishment was either incompetent or complicit in bid Laden finding a haven.

Gilani was to arrive in Shanghai yesterday and speak today at a cultural forum in the eastern city of Suzhou, Pakistani officials said.

He will then travel to Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶).

The two sides are expected to sign a series of cooperation agreements and discuss how they can better combat extremism.

China is the main arms supplier to Pakistan, which sees Beijing as an important counterbalance to its traditional rival, India. India has recently improved its ties with the US, causing worry in Islamabad.

China has voiced firm support for Pakistan since the bin Laden episode and the two were expected to reaffirm their friendship during Gilani’s stay.

By contrast, Kerry stressed that US lawmakers were demanding a review of billions of dollars in aid money to Pakistan.

“Ultimately, the Pakistani people will decide what kind of country Pakistan becomes, whether it is a haven for extremists or the tolerant democracy that [Pakistani founder] Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned 64 years ago,” said Kerry, chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In a televised address, Kerry said he had US President Barack Obama’s backing “to find a way to rebuild the trust” after previously warning of “profound” consequences if the allies cannot fix their fractured ties.

Facing weak Western investment in its moribund economy and crippling power shortages, Pakistan is looking for closer trade and energy ties with China.

Pakistan last week opened a 330-megawatt nuclear power plant in Punjab Province with Chinese help and said Beijing had been contracted to construct two more reactors.

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